SMALL-MINDED LEGISLATORS

It seems that those who are elected to office really do not have to understand the Constitution.  Rand Paul, in the Senate doesn't agree with the Constitution and believes he knows better than those who quote it.  Washington is more than just broken.  It has a political cancer that unwilling to allow treatment of itself.  Those in office listen to voices other than their constituents, treating them as though all that mattered was their vote.

When a new Representative like Cruz can hold up a presidential nomination for his cabinet by asking totally irrelevant questions and the House leaders do not bother to chastise their new member, refusing to act like leaders, the need for training leaders to be leaders, not just be given the job because they were voted in, it reasonable to question why our government, that huge corporation, does not follow the rules of any well-functioning large corporation.  There are no reviews of its 'employees'.  There are no merit raises.  There are no lessons of history to prevent newcomers to know of what they speak before they open their mouths.  Like immature parents who are really acting like children themselves, the leaders of the House tolerate such open stupidity, lack of knowledge of exactly what their committee function should be within its limits, they are able to stall the US Defense Department's  presence at an important meeting with overseas nations.

To me, this is unconscionable behavior not only on the part of the obstructionists but on the part of the leaders who should be censured for not doing their job properly.  It is beyond my comprehension why such poor functioning is being allowed, or why we have no laws governing proper behavior of our elected officials.  Apparently there is a poorly functioning ethics committee, but shouldn't there be a test of some sort for newly elected legislators as to their understand the Constitution and their role in their .elected situation.  They were not sent to Washington elected to govern in place of the President.  Senators like Rand Paul may be entitled to believe he would be a better President but he cannot function as though he already is.  

THE CRUISE TO HELL ON THE OCEAN

  Imagine being on a cruise with 4000 people for five days when there is no power.  That means fresh food is becoming scarce, toilets have overflowed so the stench of human waste permeates the air,   Even the ship offering free drinks did not do much to take people out of their Hell.  When tempers began to match those of a pregnant woman who is several days overdue on delivery.  'I will do anything.  Get me out of here!" ' it was long p-ast the time for rescue. To know the meaning of relief, click here.

It is difficult to imagine the disappointment that has turned fun and expectations for relaxation and good food with friends, makes home look better and better.  I admit I have loved the several cruises I have been on.  I've never been on a Carnival cruise because I never wanted to be around that many younger people.  I have grown beyond their music and habits, I guess. However, Carnival is not and will not be the only line to suffer unfortunate circumstances mid-sea.  Cruises are pretty safe, overall, and we only think of them in the rare times when we hear otherwise.

A SCARY FANTASY

Today, on the Lawrence O'Donnell Show, (The Last Word) he read the enemy list of the NRA.  He said he couldn't not figure it out. We heard first that there is that list.  When he first talked about it, you can here him here.  Click here.

Lawrence O'Donnell is unable to figure out why the names are on the list of people, organization, unions, hospitals, and many other groups.

My thought is that the NRA has allowed militias to be armed with more ammunition that our police departments have.  They have been able to buy wartime guns for many years now.  For a group that is antisemitic, racially prejudices, fearful of those who treat gun wounds and might object to the NRA, and i am sure I could make a connection for every person or group on the list. 

It distresses me to say , "I have no proof, but it is a consideration I would like to have explored by those who have the capacity to do so.  I do not believe that our government is clueless to these dangerous groups. I believe that the4 NRA cannot have become so powerful without lots of power behind them.  The current power threat away from those behind the government for the past few years  has shifted and there is great unhappiness about it.  All one has to do is watch the faces of the the Republicans who do not want to be doing what they are doing right now.  It was quite apparent during the SOTU. (State of the Union).

THE STATE OF THE UNION 2013

     President Obama gave his ideas for growing the economy.  I thought he did an admirable job of touching the major issues. Afterwards, the pundits who always think they can do a better job than the president recited all that he 'should have said' but didn't.  I thought he covered some exciting ways that we would go forward instead of backwards as the Republicans have tried to force us to do.  We heard more about executive action.  It was clear he will not take the passive position that he had the past four years.  He has learned they do not negotiate or compromise and speak with forked tongues. For the speech, click here.

      Marko Rubio in vented a view of the President's speech and the state of the union through conservative Republican rhetoric.  He wants less government, has no economic expertise, and says he opposes Obama's plan because he wants to protect the middle class.  He is, in my opinion, a naive politician who thinks he is on the road to the presidency.  He should learn to ride his tricycle before he buys his Lamborghini.  While President Obama spoke about plans for the country, Rubio's major focus was to criticize the President.  Poor form.

     After negating all the good ideas the President gave, he finished off with a repeat of all the ideas that Obama had put forth as though they originated with Rubio about education, help for the poor, help for student loans.  He like others was full of what 'should have been said' rather than what was actually said..Rubio wants us to have a shared hope for a shared life.  I',m sure he had no idea how many of his ideas were what President Obama gave.  He also falsely criticized the President and was very inconsistent throughout.  For the transcript, click here.

      Rand Paul spoke prior to tonight.  To his this ridiculous man speak (while it is difficult to realize that people were cheering him on!)  The one thing he said that was true was that anyone who fails to understand the uniqueness of this nation is unfit to be president.   He should never be president.  He would be a disaster.  To hear his speech, click here and watch the video.                   .

TRUMP CAN NEVER BE TRUSTED TO BE PRESIDENT

This is a portrait of an egotistical and over-rated man.  He pretends to be important and knowledgeable when his behaviors prove him otherwise.

Recently he and Bill Maher, the comedian, had a bit of a flap.  Maher joked that with that orange hair, his father had to be an orangutan.  Mr. Trump took offense and had a lawyer send him a letter threatening to sue for the $5,000,000 Mr. Maher bet he would pay if he was proven wrong.  In the lawyer's letter, Mr. Trump included a copy of his birth certificate which the silly man thought proved his paternity.

A birth certificate simply writes down the name of the man the mother 'claims' is the father who then becomes the father of record.  Where there is a father hanging around in a true marriage, he can be reassured that it is his child, especially if the child has distinguishing familial features..  Click here,The reason virginity was so important historically was the need to be sure that his wife had not been impregnated by some other man before marriage and a child was his offspring..  In the first class in England in the early 1800s, many wives who were married off for titled in exchange for their dowries that would pay gambling debts or save properties for family. It was not uncommon for the wife to have affairs after having delivered the heir, her obligation to the marriage and to her husband.  Later children were frequently not the offspring of the master of the house but since their inheritance was not a factor in the world of primogeniture.

In today's world, paternity is no longer verified by birth certificate but by dna testing  Mr. Trump failed to understand that he was being put on by a comedian and did not need to prove anything since species cannot be crossed.  'for details of the 'bet', click here

We were saved from his being our President.  While there are many other reasons why he never should be in that office, I would offer this as a very good reason, as well.  We need a brilliant person in that office, male or female, who is competent, well trained in leadership, foreign policy, and in making cooperative work with people with differing values.  President Obama has all those qualities though people with far fewer aspects of integrity, morality and common sense as well as brilliance try to make us think otherwise.

AFTER THE STORM

Snowstorm Nemo hit the Northeast and was over by Saturday afternoon.  Sounds good, doesn't it.  Storm is over.  That means it stopped falling.  It says nothing about what it left for people such as finding their cars under the snow, clearing walks, creating parking parking spaces, or finding the energy or money or workers to make it right.   Unlike the delightful movie cartoon a few years back, we had no difficulty; finding Nemo.'  Nemo found us.  For more detail on Nemo, click here.

24 hours after the storm stopped, by the good graces of neighbors with snow plows and snow blowers, I am now able to drive back into the outside world.  Having had a sedentary job for several decades, I realize I have not had enough exercise.  The one exercise which I love to do is shovel snow.  Shoveling this snow would be analogous to a hiker being confronted with Mount Everest to climb, though.  My front walk is about forty feet long.  Snow that was very fine and dry was quite firmly packed.  My walk was piled about 27" high.  That meant it took about four swipes to lower the last swipe to the ground.  I could only take about a foot, or less at a time so that was no less than 160 swipes.  The truth was that there had to be more when I reached the berm that had been pushed up by the city tucks that extended far beyond the sidewalk, to allow someone to walk to the front door.

It was good for the people who made money every winter to survive by plowing.  Last year was a loss though the rest of us loved having little to shovel.  My house is on a bus route.  Naturally we are plowed all through the storm for emergency workers to get through.  Dead end streets are still waiting in some places to get plowed.  A 300 hundred foot dead end street is not something someone wants to shovel by hand.  Two days later some are still  waiting to have that white wall taken away.

 I was asked if I didn't have cabin fever.  The answer is, "No!"  I might have developed it in a few months but it was heavenly not to have to go anywhere, with a clear conscience about staying put.

The other side of that is wondering when the other shoe will fall.  Electrical power was not lost.  Lights and heat and all technology worked, even  though the winds were stronger than usual and blew snow off the flat roof; no structural damage was done.  Not living by the shore, the unusual moon tides did not touch me.

The law of averages strikes again, this time on our side.

SADNESS ONLY FOR THOSAE WHO ARE STUCK IN THE PAST OF THE BIBLE AGES

It saddens me that so many in government today who make decisions for the rest of us are stuck thinking that life should be as it was 2013 years ago.  The majority seem to be Republicans and demonstrate that change is difficult for lots of people but those should probably never be electe4d to our government.  When science is clearly able to demonstrate validity and it continues to be denied by those who head our legislative science committees, The rest of us can feel the chains of bondage limiting our movements by them..

While there are still those who don't believe in evolution, others are far more open minded about our universe, not just our world.   I doubt there will ever be a time when new things are not found.  If the Bible limiters had there way, nothing new will ever be found.  Nevertheless, there are those who don't stop looking to understand beyond what we know.  For new findings,click here   and watch the video.